The Hope Vale Yimbala dancers will take to their biggest stage yet at this year’s Big Talk One Fire Cultural Festival in Cairns this weekend. Photo: Facebook.
Cape York’s abundant performing arts talent will take centre stage at this year’s Big Talk One Fire Cultural Festival in Cairns this weekend.
The Yimbala dancers of Hope Vale will share their strong connection to culture through movement and rhythmical clapsticks, while Mapoon-born Australian Idol winner Royston Noell is set to headline the festival.
With a mission to preserve, strengthen, maintain and celebrate Indigenous arts and culture, the UMI Arts Big Talk One Fire will bring together First Nations performers, artists and cultural leaders from across Far North Queensland.
Choreographer Tamara Pearson said this would be the biggest stage yet for the Yimbala dancers.
“It’s the first time our Yimbala dancers are performing in Cairns,” she said.
“The most they’ve performed is in Cooktown, and the reason they were asked to perform for Big Talk One Fire is because of how amazing they were at this year’s Cooktown Discovery Festival.
“It’s also a great reward, because the kids do work hard in rehearsals, and it’s a great opportunity for them to showcase how amazing they are.”
Ms Pearson said they would be keeping the dances very traditional to best represent their culture and share their stories with a wide audience.
“When we’re doing our dancing, it’s a story, so there will be explanations in regard to all the dances as well,” she said.
“It’s all about keeping them strong in their culture and making sure they continue it on as they grow older, even when they go off to boarding school or high school.
“What we want to do is make sure the kids continue to know their culture and not have that shame factor, so that when they come back to community, they can just jump right in and pick up the clapsticks.”
Just like the Hope Vale kids, Noell was a young boy with big dreams in a remote Indigenous community.
“There’s not a lot of musicians and singers and artsy kind of people that come from Cape York, especially Mapoon as well, so I’m really excited to be able to represent my community and show the kids that it doesn’t matter where you come from,” he said.
“You know, if you have a dream, you can make it happen, and I feel like I’m a testament to that.
“Being able to have that platform and be the headliner of the festival is really awesome, because I get to spread that message further, especially to all the Cape York communities, which is very close to my heart.”
Noell said his passion for representation originated from his own journey to becoming a singer, when he realised his dream was possible after seeing Jessica Mauboy.
“I think watching The Sapphires and seeing Jessica Mauboy, I kind of related to her, and that’s how powerful representation is – if you can see it, you can be it,” he said.
“I just related to her being a Blackfella and coming from Darwin, and I just thought ‘wow, like if she can do it, how come I can’t?’”
“That’s all it took for me to believe that I could do it, and if I could change one little kid’s mindset into thinking they can actually do it, that’s all I can ask for, because I’m very passionate about that.”
The 17th Big Talk One Fire Cultural Festival will take place on 7 September at the Munro Martin Parklands from 3-9pm.
